LAMP ASSEMBLY WITH LAMP AND REFLECTOR

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a lamp assembly comprising a lamp with a reflector. The present invention also relates to a heating system comprising at least one lamp assembly.

[0002] The invention finds its application, for example, in a heating system designed for industrial purposes such as curing of synthetic resins by heat, drying of paper, baking of paints or heating plastic performs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Patent application WO2004/049760 describes a lamp assembly comprising a lamp and a reflector. The reflector aims at avoiding loss of radiation and focusing the radiation emitted by the lamp on a desired point. The lamp is maintained in position with respect to the reflector by means of two supports, which are attached to the reflector. This lamp assembly is intended to be put in a heating system.

[0004] However, such a lamp assembly is bulky. As a consequence, it is not adapted for many heating systems. In particular, such a lamp assembly cannot be adapted in a furnace comprising means for receiving the ends of lamps. Such furnaces comprise reflectors and supports for receiving lamps. However, the shape of the reflectors is pre-determined, because the reflectors are already present in the furnace. For example, the furnace may comprise reflecting walls. Hence, these furnaces may not be adapted for certain applications. If, for instance, the furnace has been designed for drying flat surfaces, it may not be adapted for heating bottles preforms. As a consequence, it would be advantageous if a lamp assembly comprising a lamp and a reflector could be placed in such a furnace, because the shape of the reflector can be chosen independently of the furnace. Unfortunately, the lamp assembly of WO2004/049760 is too bulky and thus cannot be placed in such a furnace.

[0005] Moreover, the size of the lamp assembly of WO2004/049760 can hardly be reduced.

[0006] Actually, a reduction of the size of this lamp assembly would lead to a short distance between the lamp and the reflector. As the temperature of the lamp vessel is relatively high, it would deteriorate the reflector unless using a supplementary cooling air or water system.

[0007] US 4 728 763 A describes a microwave oven comprising two lamp units accommodate tungsten-halogen lamps, so that infrared radiation generated by the lamps is emitted towards food. Each lamp unit consists of a metallic casing around which a thermally-insulative or ceramic material is provided to alleviate dissipation of heat from the unit and partially to reflect infrared radiation emitted from the lamps, as well as providing support for the lamps. To inhibit leakage of the microwave energy, the end of each lamp is provided with a microwave attenuation device, attached to the casing. The attenuation device comprises a conventional quarter-wave choke, which consists of a metallic stub and which fits over ceramic end caps of the lamp. The pinch seal at the ends of each lamp are preferably enclosed within a ceramic housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is an object of the invention to provide a lamp assembly comprising a lamp and a reflector, which lamp assembly is more compact.

[0009] The object is solved by the features of claim 1.

[0010] To this end, the invention proposes a lamp assembly comprising a lamp with a lamp vessel comprising a longitudinal axis, the lamp assembly further comprising a support member comprising a bottom surface extending substantially along said longitudinal axis and, between the bottom surface and the lamp vessel, a reflective member supported by the support member and having a surface comprising a material with a melting temperature higher than 600°C.

[0011] Such a material can withstand relatively high temperatures. As a consequence, it can be placed close to the lamp, which makes the lamp assembly more compact. The reflective member can be given any shape, so that such a lamp assembly will be well adapted for many different applications, where different shapes of reflectors are needed. In particular, the shape of the reflective part is not commanded by the heating system nor by the shape of the lamp. The support member protects the reflective part, which is advantageous because such a material is relatively fragile. Hence, the lamp assembly can be made relatively compact. In particular, it can be made such that its dimensions are close to the dimensions of the lamp. Such a lamp assembly can be placed instead of a lamp in a furnace intended to receive lamps.

[0012] The support member further comprises two closing surfaces substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, each closing surface having a slot in which an end of the lamp is inserted. Such a support member is relatively easy to manufacture, and the assembly process of the lamp assembly is relatively easy. Moreover these two closing surfaces constitute an additional protection for lamp pinches against the lamp radiation. According to the invention, the closing surfaces can move with respect to the lateral surfaces.

[0013] The support member further comprises two lateral surfaces substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface and parallel to the longitudinal axis. The reflective member may be maintained inside the support member by means of the lateral surfaces. Hence, no additional means for fixing the reflective member are needed.

[0014] Advantageously, the lateral surfaces are designed in such a way that the lamp vessel is completely inside the support member. This avoids that an object under heating touches the lamp vessel, which would deteriorate said object.

[0015] A cap is mounted at the end of the lamp and the support member is preferably fixed to said cap. This simplifies the assembly process of the lamp assembly. Actually, the support member can be mechanically fixed to the caps of the lamp, which avoids additional means for maintaining the lamp in the lamp assembly.

[0016] The invention also relates to a heating system comprising at least one such lamp assembly.

[0017] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The present invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein :

• Fig. 1 a shows a side view of a lamp assembly in accordance with an example, Fig. 1 b shows a cross section in a plane BB of Fig. 1 a, Fig. 1 c shows a cross section in a plane AA of Fig. 1b, Fig. 1 d is an exploded perspective view of the lamp assembly of Figs. 1 a to 1 c and Fig. 1 e is a perspective view of said lamp assembly;
• Fig. 2a shows a side view of a lamp assembly in accordance with another example, Fig. 2b shows a cross section in a plane BB of Fig. 2a, Fig. 2c shows a cross section in a plane AA of Fig. 2b, Fig. 2d is an exploded perspective view of the lamp assembly of Figs. 2a to 2c, Fig. 2e is a perspective view of said lamp assembly and Fig. 2f is a variant of the support member in accordance with the present invention;
• Fig. 3 a shows a side view of a lamp assembly in accordance with another example, Fig. 3b shows a cross section in a plane BB of Fig. 3a, Fig. 3c shows a cross section in a plane AA of Fig. 3b, Fig. 3d is an exploded perspective view of the lamp assembly of Figs. 3a to 3c and Fig. 3e is a perspective view of said lamp assembly;
• Figs. 4a and 4b show other embodiments of the lamp assembly in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] A lamp assembly in accordance with an example is depicted in Figs. 1 a to 1 c and in Fig. 1 d to 1 e. Fig. 1 a is a side view of said lamp assembly. Fig. 1 b is an enlarged cross-section in the plane BB of Fig. 1 a. Fig. 1 c is a cross section in the plane AA of Fig. 1 b. Fig. 1 d is an exploded view of the lamp assembly and Fig. 1 e is a perspective view of this lamp assembly. For reasons of convenience, the respective dimensions of the elements of the lamp may not correspond in the Figs. This lamp assembly comprises a lamp 10, a support member 11 and a reflective member 12. The lamp extends along a longitudinal axis CC and comprises a lamp vessel 101, an incandescent body 102 and current supply conductors 106. The lamp further comprises caps 105, foils 104 and current wires 107. Although a double-ended lamp has been represented in the Figs., the invention may be applied to a single-ended lamp. In the example of Figs. 1a to 1e, the lamp comprises two ends 103.

[0020] The incandescent body 102, which is for example a tungsten wire, has its extremities connected to the foils 104, which are for example pieces of molybdenum to which the extremities of the incandescent body 102 are welded. Current supply conductors 106 are also welded to the foils 104. The current supply conductors 106 are connected to the current wires 107. This can be done by welding a current supply conductor 106 to a current wire 107, through a hole of a cap 105. Such a cap 105 is described in patent EP 0345890. Alternatively, the extremity of the incandescent body 102 serves as current supply conductor and is directly connected to the current wire 106. The lamp vessel 101 is filled with a high-pressure discharge gas, such as argon, and comprises a small quantity of a halide substance in order to prevent darkening, due to deposition of gaseous tungsten.

[0021] The support member 11 here comprises a bottom surface 111, which extends along the longitudinal axis CC. The bottom surface 111 may not be exactly parallel to the longitudinal axis CC, but extends substantially along said longitudinal axis CC, which means that the main direction of the bottom surface 111 and the longitudinal axis CC make an angle that is preferably inferior to 30 degrees, more preferably inferior to 10 degrees. The support member 11 further comprises two closing surfaces 112, which each comprises a slot 113.

[0022] During assembling process of this lamp assembly, the reflective member 12 is positioned on the bottom surface 111 of the support member 11. The reflective member 12 may be fixed to the bottom surface 111, for example by means of cement. However, it is possible to position the reflective member 12 in the lamp assembly without fixing it to the support member 11. For example, the reflective member 12 may be maintained in position in the lamp assembly by means of the lamp 10, as will be explained later on. Then the ends 103 of the lamp 10 are inserted in the slots 113 of the support member 11, and finally the caps 105 are mounted at each end 103 of the lamp 10.

[0023] In the example of Figs. 1a to 1e, the support member 11 is a one-part mechanical piece. Such a one-part piece is easy to manufacture. For example, it can be manufactured by bending a metallic longitudinal piece so as to obtain the closing surfaces 112, and by making a hole in each closing surface 112 so as to obtain the slots 113. As a consequence, the cost of the lamp assembly is reduced, as well as the time needed for manufacturing this lamp assembly.

[0024] The lamp 10 may be fixed to the support member 11, for instance by means of cement. Alternatively, the caps 105 may be fixed to the support member 11, for instance by means of cement. However, it is possible to position the lamp 10 in the lamp assembly without fixing it to the support member 11. Actually, in the example of Figs. 1 a to 1 e, the lamp 10 is maintained in position in the lamp assembly, because the closing surfaces 112 and the caps 105 avoids that the lamp 10 exits the lamp assembly.

[0025] The dimensions of the lamp 10, the support member 11 and the reflective member 12 may be such that the reflective member 12 is maintained in position in the lamp assembly without need to fix said reflective member 12 to either the support member 11 or the lamp 10. For example, the lamp vessel 101 may be in contact with the reflective member 12. This is possible, because the reflective surface of the reflective member 12 comprises a material, which can withstand the temperature of the lamp vessel 101 in operation.

[0026] Due to the temperature of such a lamp vessel in operation, the reflective material is chosen to resist to temperatures higher than 600°C, i.e. its melting temperature is higher than this limit. The reflective material is preferably chosen to have a high near infrared reflectivity. Preferably, the total near infrared reflectivity is higher than 85%. Then having a total near infrared reflectivity higher than 85% allows maintaining the reflective surface in its domain of temperature, despite the high thermal constraint applied by the lamp. This preserves the characteristics of the reflective material along the lamp lifetime.

[0027] Such materials are often used for embedded reflectors, such as described in patent US 4,710,677. Such a material may be made of a high percentage, such as more than 20 per cent, of aluminum oxide or silica oxide for example. However, an embedded reflector, which is coated on the lamp vessel, has the disadvantage that its shape is restricted to the shape of the external quartz lamp tube, often a cylindrical shape. Moreover the thickness of an embedded reflector is limited in order to maintain a high adherence. In the case of the invention, the thickness of the reflective surface may be increased.

[0028] The reflective member 12 may be integrally formed of this material. Alternatively, only the surface that is close to the lamp vessel 101 may be coated with such a material.

[0029] As a consequence, the reflective member 12 may be placed close to the lamp vessel 101. This makes such a lamp assembly relatively compact. Moreover, the reflective member 12 is supported by the support member 11. This allows the use of a fragile material for the reflective surface of the reflective member 12, which would not be possible without the support member 11. As the lamp assembly is compact, it can be placed in a heating system designed for receiving lamps. Such a heating system comprises supports for receiving the caps 105 of the lamp 10. Instead of inserting the lamp 10, the lamp assembly comprising the lamp 10, the reflective member 12 and the support member 11 may be inserted by inserting the caps 105 inside said supports. This is particularly advantageous, because the shape of the reflective member 12 may be chosen independently of the heating system. As a consequence, a same heating system can be used for different purposes that require different irradiations of the objects to be heated, and thus different shapes of the reflecting surfaces of the heating system.

[0030] Figs. 2a to 2e show a lamp assembly in accordance with another example. In this example, the support member 11 further comprises two lateral surfaces 114.

[0031] The support member 11 in this case is an open box in which two holes have been made in order to make the two slots 113. Such a support member 11 is thus particularly easy to manufacture.

[0032] In the example of Figs. 2a to 2e, the dimensions of the support member 11 are such that the lamp vessel 101 is completely inside said support member 11. As a consequence, the lamp vessel 101 is protected by the support member 11. This is particularly advantageous, in particular when the lamp assembly is used in a heating system in which the objects under treatment can move. This is the case, for example, in heating systems used for forming bottle performs. In these heating systems, an object under treatment may touch the lamp vessel 101. This may alter this object, or even alter the lamp vessel 101. This is not possible when a lamp assembly such as described in Figs. 2a to 2e is used in the heating system, because the lateral surfaces avoid that an object touches the lamp vessel 101.

[0033] The lateral surfaces 114 are also particularly advantageous, because they protect the reflective member 112. Moreover, the support member 11 may be designed in such a way that the lateral surfaces 114 tightly enclose the reflective member 12. In this case, the reflective member 12 is maintained in position in the lamp assembly by means of the lateral surfaces.

[0034] In Fig. 2f, a variant of the support member of Fig. 2d in accordance with the present invention is shown. In this variant, the closing surfaces 112 can move with respect to the lateral surfaces 114. This makes the assembling process of the lamp assembly easier, because insertion of the ends 103 of the lamp 10 in the slots 113 is easier. This can be achieved, for example, in that the support member 11 of Fig. 2d is partially cut so that the closing surfaces 112 can rotate around an axis that is perpendicular to the lateral surfaces 114.

[0035] A lamp assembly in accordance with another example is depicted in Figs. 3a to 3e. In this embodiment, the support member 11 comprises the bottom surface 111 and hooks 115. As shown in Fig. 3d and 3e, the assembling process is the following. First, the caps 105 are mounted at each end of the lamp 10. Then, the reflective member 12 is mounted on the support member 11, and may possibly be fixed to the bottom surface 111, for instance by means of cement. Then, the caps 105 are inserted in the hooks 115. The hooks 105 maintain the lamp 10 in position in the lamp assembly. As a consequence, no additional means for fixing the lamp 10 in the lamp assembly are required.

[0036] It should be noted that the caps 105 and the support member 11 may be one and the same element. This reduces the number of elements in the lamp assembly, and thus decreases the cost of the lamp assembly as well as the time needed for assembling said lamp assembly. In this case, the reflective member 12 is first mounted on the support member 11, and then the ends of the lamp 10 are inserted in the caps 105, which form part of the support member 11.

[0037] Although the reflective member 12 has been represented as a thick element, the reflective member 12 may comprise only a reflective surface. Examples of lamp assemblies where the reflective member 12 is a reflector coated on the support member 11 are given in Figs. 4a and 4b. Figs. 4a and 4b are cross sections of lamp assemblies in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis CC. In Fig. 4, the reflective member 12 is a reflective coating that is coated on a concave bottom surface 111 of the support member 11. The support member comprises closing surfaces 112, as described in Figs. 1 a to 1 e. The shape of the concave surface of the support member 11 can be chosen as a function of the application of the lamp assembly in a heating system. This shape does not depend on the shape of the lamp 10, nor on the heating system in which the lamp assembly is intended to be used.

[0038] In Fig. 4b, the reflective member 12 is also a reflective coating that is coated on a concave bottom surface 111 of the support member 11. In this example, the bottom surface 111 of the support member 11 is a semi-cylinder, which also comprises the lateral surfaces 114 of the support member 11.

[0039] Any reference sign in the following claims should not be construed as limiting the claim. It will be obvious that the use of the verb "to comprise" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of any other elements besides those defined in any claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

Claims

1. A lamp assembly comprising a lamp (10) having a lamp vessel (101) with a longitudinal axis (CC), the lamp assembly further comprising a support member (11) with a bottom surface (111) extending substantially along said longitudinal axis and, between the bottom surface (111) and the lamp vessel (101), a reflective member (12) supported by the support member (11) and having a surface comprising a reflective material with a melting temperature higher than 600 °C, wherein the support member (11) further comprises two lateral surfaces (114) substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface (111) and parallel to the longitudinal axis, and two closing surfaces (112) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, each closing surface (112) having a slot (113) in which an end of the lamp is inserted, whereby the lamp vessel (101) has lamp pinches which are protected against the lamp radiation by the two closing surfaces (112), and wherein the lamp further comprises caps (105) mounted at the end of the lamp on the lamp pinches, which are protruding outwardly from the closing surfaces (112), characterized in that the closing surfaces (112) can move with respect to the lateral surfaces (114).

2. A lamp assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflective member (12) is integrally formed of the reflective material.

3. A lamp assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflective member (12) is a reflective coating that is coated on a concave bottom surface (111) and/or wherein the reflective member (12) comprises only a reflective surface.

4. A lamp assembly as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the reflective member (12) is maintained in position in the lamp assembly by means of the lamp (10).

5. A lamp assembly as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein said material is a ceramic material.

6. A lamp assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said ceramic material comprises a proportion of aluminum oxide or silica oxide than is larger than 20 per cent.

7. A lamp assembly as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 6 , wherein the lateral surfaces (114) are designed in such a way that the lamp vessel (101) is completely inside the support member (11).

8. A lamp assembly as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 3 or 5 to 7, wherein the reflective member (12) is fixed to the support member (11) by means of cement.

9. A lamp assembly as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 8, wherein the support member (11) being fixed to said caps (105).

10. A heating system comprising at least one lamp assembly as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 9.

Ansprüche

1. Lampenanordnung, umfassend eine Lampe (10) mit einem Lampengefäß (101) mit einer Längsachse (CC), wobei die Lampenanordnung ferner ein Trägerglied (11) umfasst, das eine Bodenfläche (111), die sich im Wesentlichen entlang der Längsachse erstreckt, und zwischen der Bodenfläche (111) und dem Lampengefäß (101) ein reflektierendes Glied (12) aufweist, das von dem Trägerglied (11) getragen wird und eine Fläche aufweist, die ein reflektierendes Material mit einer Schmelztemperatur von über 600°C umfasst, wobei das Trägerglied (11) ferner zwei Seitenflächen (114), sie sich im Wesentlichen senkrecht zu der Bodenfläche (111) und parallel zu der Längsachse erstrecken, und zwei Schließflächen (112) umfasst, die sich im Wesentlichen senkrecht zur Längsachse erstrecken, wobei jede Schließfläche (112) einen Schlitz (113) aufweist, in den ein Ende der Lampe eingeführt ist, wobei das Lampengefäß (101) Lampenquetschungen hat, die von den beiden Schließflächen (112) vor der Lampenstrahlung geschützt werden, und wobei die Lampe ferner Kappen (105) umfasst, die am Ende der Lampe an den Lampenquetschungen montiert sind und von den Schließflächen (112) nach außen vorragen, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Schließflächen (112) in Bezug auf die Seitenflächen (114) beweglich sind.

2. Lampenanordnung nach Anspruch 1, wobei das reflektierende Glied (12) integral aus dem reflektierenden Material gebildet ist.

3. Lampenanordnung nach Anspruch 1, wobei das reflektierende Glied (12) eine reflektierende Beschichtung ist, die auf einer konkaven Bodenfläche (111) aufgetragen ist, und/oder wobei das reflektierende Glied (12) lediglich eine reflektierende Fläche umfasst.

4. Lampenanordnung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, wobei das reflektierende Glied (12) in der Lampenanordnung mittels der Lampe (10) in Position gehalten wird.

5. Lampenanordnung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, wobei das Material ein Keramikmaterial ist.

6. Lampenanordnung nach Anspruch 5, wobei das Keramikmaterial einen Anteil an Aluminiumoxid oder Siliciumoxid umfasst, der größer als 20 Prozent ist.

7. Lampenanordnung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6, wobei die Seitenflächen (114) derart ausgebildet sind, dass das Lampengefäß (101) völlig in dem Trägerglied (11) liegt.

8. Lampenanordnung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3 oder 5 bis 7, wobei das reflektierende Glied (12) mittels Zement am Trägerglied (11) befestigt ist.

9. Lampenanordnung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 8, wobei das Trägerglied (11) an den Kappen (105) befestigt ist.

10. Heizsystem, umfassend mindestens eine Lampenanordnung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 9.

Revendications

1. Ensemble de lampe comprenant une lampe (10) ayant un réceptacle de lampe (101) avec un axe longitudinal (CC), l'ensemble de lampe comprenant en outre un organe de support (11) avec une surface inférieure (111) s'étendant substantiellement le long dudit axe longitudinal et, entre la surface inférieure (111) et le réceptacle de lampe (101), un organe réfléchissant (12) supporté par l'organe de support (11) et ayant une surface comprenant un matériau réfléchissant ayant une température de fusion supérieure à 600° C, l'organe de support (11) comprenant en outre deux surfaces latérales (114) substantiellement perpendiculaires à la surface inférieure (111) et parallèles à l'axe longitudinal, et deux surfaces de fermeture (112) substantiellement perpendiculaires à l'axe longitudinal, chaque surface de fermeture (112) ayant une fente (113) dans laquelle une extrémité de la lampe est insérée, le réceptacle de lampe (101) ayant des pincements de lampe qui sont protégés contre les rayonnements de la lampe par les deux surfaces de fermeture (112), et la lampe comprenant en outre des capuchons (105) montés à l'extrémité de la lampe sur les pincements de lampe, lesquels font saillie vers l'extérieur depuis les surfaces de fermeture (112), caractérisé en ce que les surfaces de fermeture (112) peuvent se déplacer par rapport aux surfaces latérales (114).

2. Ensemble de lampe selon la revendication 1, dans lequel l'organe réfléchissant (12) est formé intégralement du matériau réfléchissant.

3. Ensemble de lampe selon la revendication 1, dans lequel l'organe réfléchissant (12) est un revêtement réfléchissant qui est revêtu sur une surface inférieure concave (111) et/ou dans lequel l'organe réfléchissant (12) ne comprend qu'une surface réfléchissante.

4. Ensemble de lampe selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, dans lequel l'organe réfléchissant (12) est maintenu en position dans l'ensemble de lampe au moyen de la lampe (10).

5. Ensemble de lampe selon l'une des revendications 1 à 4, dans lequel ledit matériau est un matériau céramique.

6. Ensemble de lampe selon la revendication 5, dans lequel ledit matériau céramique comprend une proportion d'oxyde d'aluminium ou d'oxyde de silice supérieure à 20 %.

7. Ensemble de lampe selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 6, dans lequel les surfaces latérales (114) sont conçues de telle sorte que le réceptacle de lampe (101) soit complètement à l'intérieur de l'organe de support (11).

8. Ensemble de lampe selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3 ou 5 à 7, dans lequel l'organe réfléchissant (12) est fixé à l'organe de support (11) par un ciment.

9. Ensemble de lampe selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 8, dans lequel l'organe de support (11) est fixé auxdits capuchons (105).

10. Système de chauffage comprenant au moins un ensemble de lampe selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 9.

Drawing